John Bowlby's Attachment Analysis

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According to John Bowlby's attachment theory, early caretaker interactions form people's attachment styles, which influence their interpersonal behaviors throughout their lives (Bowlby, 1982). Ainsworth et al. (2015) observed three main patterns of attachment, which are secure attachment, anxious-resistant attachment and lastly avoidant attachment. In relation to helping behaviors, there has been numerous research conducted.

Mikulincer and Shaver (2017) found that attachment styles such as secure, anxious, and avoidant influence people's willingness to help others. Individuals with secure attachment are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors, such as assisting others, as a result of their positive self-esteem. On the contrary, individuals with anxious or avoidant attachment styles may be less inclined towards helping because they prioritize their own needs or fear rejection.
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This may stem from empathy and closeness, which leads to unhelpfulness (Richman et al., 2015). In the study conducted by Richman et al. (2015) showed that minimizing emotional proximity may mitigate the unhelpful behaviors. An example given in the study stated that avoidant attachment may cause people to donate money to charity that promotes emotional closeness but not to those that do not (Richman et al., 2015). Furthermore, it is stated that people who believe their emotions are temporarily unchangeable benefit just as much as those with lower attachment (Richman et al.,